Green Holidays

If you lost your dog on holiday – what could you do to get it back?

When you are in a new area – you may not know about the local vets, rescue centres or capture policy for ‘found’ pets.

And you really should!

Needless to say, if there was a simple and fast service available that did all the searching for you; shouldn’t you know about it?

Obviously not all countries offer such services – but if there was one available where you were heading – shouldn’t you really be signing up? Otherwise how would you find your lost dog?

Pet Finding Procedure:
Generally, if someone loses a pet like a dog, they would start by calling a few local vets and rescue centres locally, leaving details with everyone about their dog.

They may also contact other local services like pet stores to take their details – possible enlisting people to start travelling around looking for the animal.

And all this costs money and uses other people resources. The owner may just be making phone calls, but it is the charities that are using up time and money keeping records of all these details.

photo credit: ToniProtto

On average my local pet rescue centre gets 3 or 4 calls every day with people looking for their lost dogs and other pets. And each call takes at least 10 minutes of (volunteered) time, as well as ink and paper to record the details.

And if you multiply that up by all the other people that are called up about the same pet – and all the lost pets in a month – this can get quite costly.

But What If You Are Lost Too?
This is the standard route for someone living at home – but what if you were travelling and you were in a new town or city. Would you know which companies to call to help you? Would you even know where you were to say where your dog was last seen?

And – what is the standard procedure for finding dog owners? Some countries use microchips, some use tattoes and others give you 7 days to find your own dog in a Lost Dog Shelter – otherwise it is simply rehomed!

That is why it is worth knowing what happens to pets in the areas you are visiting – or finding someone who does!

The Experts:
There are several companies available now who know all the local vets to any given address in an instant.

Once your dog has been reported to them, they will alert all relevant centres and vets as to the description and contact details of you and your dog. You don’t need to worry about a thing.

Having built up a relationship with all these vets and centres, their faxes and texts are treated as urgent rather than as routine. So if your dog has been handed in to anyone on their contact list – you will have a result in no time!

No wasted calls, no endless reciting of your details and dogs description – just one call and then you can focus on looking for your dog rather than on the phone!

So I think it is best practice to make sure you find out about these companies before you head off on your green holidays – rather than wasting resources after the event!

This is where the phrase ‘Leave it to the Experts’ rings true!

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Did you know that it is illegal in the UK for you to take a close-up photo of a baby barn owl?

This little known law is part of the Wildlife & Countryside Act (1981) where there is a list of species that receive full protection of the law – and this protection includes reducing the disturbance of the nesting young or recently fledged young of all the species on it – and this includes Barn Owls.

It also includes other seemingly random species such as Brambling, Fieldfare, Firecrest, Kingfisher, Bewick’s Swan and even the little Crested Tit!

All these species are among the 80+ protected wild bird species that frequent the UK, which can be native or just passing through.

There is, of course, already a law to protect all wildbirds from being intentionally injured, killed or taken from the wild – and the same goes for their eggs – but there are some exceptions.

In the case of the Barn Owl and the Kingfisher – they are for greater protection; whereas in the case of the Mallard or Woodcock – it means lesser protection at certain times!

photo credit: U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service – Northeast Region

These schedules also cater for captive-bred ‘wild bird’ species such as birds of prey and other more common species such as Magpies, Blackbirds and Goldfinches. And also the sale of wildbirds that have been killed legally and the rehabilitation of injured birds.

Game birds are not covered by these particualar laws however, but are covered under the separate Game Bird Act, which fully protects them outside of the Open Season.

The Bird Schedules:
There are 4 such catagories (which may have several parts) which cover those endangered birds to be protected as well as those species which can be killed or sold, and they lay out as follows:

Schedule 1: Full protection at all times (or during the close season for a specific 4 species). To get close to young, nesting or breeding birds in this list – you will need a licence (or you can visit them in specific reserves).

Schedule 2: Birds which may be killed or taken outside of the close season only – but not sold – basically to be killed to protect crops or other interests or to be killed for food or for sale as per Schedule 3.

Schedule 3: Birds which may be sold; either dead at specific times, or alive if captive bred and legally ringed. These include certain ducks and wood pidgeons to be sold dead; and siskins, song thrushes and other ‘garden’ birds that can be kept as ‘pets’ and displayed at bird shows.

Schedule 4: Captive Bred birds which must be registered and ringed if in captivity (mainly raptors). These birds need to be registered and you must have genuine proof of breeding and hatching. If you find an injured bird that happens to be listed on Schedule 4 – even if you intend to re-release it shortly – you should inform the appropriate authority as they may need to be registered.

photo credit: luc.viatour

Your Actions:
So next time you see the opportunity to photograph any nesting bird – think about what that means.

If they have made a law that specifically prevents human from getting close enough to a Schedule 1 species – as it would disturb them – think again for all birds and other wildlife!

If they think that getting that close could prevent birds from nesting at all or may make them to abandon existing young – then what harm are you doing being that close to any species?

Even with the fantastic zooms on cameras these days – you still have to be quite close to get a great shot – so what if you got a great shot of a nest, but after you left all the young starved to death after you had scared the parents off!

When trying to film or photograph nesting birds – or any birds really – it is best to set up a hide (or use one at a reserve). Birds get used to them and so aren’t so affected by all the keen photographers snapping away at them. And some reserves set up hides to be really close to the action just for this reason.

So, if you are going to enter a photgraphic competition with your nest shot – make sure it’s not a Schedule 1 species – otherwise they may ask to see your licence………. and I’m sure you don’t want the associated £5000 fine and accompanying prison sentence instead of first prize!

If you collect berries for making pies, drinks, puddings – where does the plant go?

Now we know that certain berries are great for puddings like blackberries, some are good for drinks like juniper berries and others are great for a whole host of other yummy tummy fillers.

But have you checked that those berries are not locally threatened with extinction?

It only takes a little bit of your old biology class to remember that the berries that plants make contain the seeds of that plant - and if the seeds don’t hit the ground – you don’t get a new plant!

So, needless to say, if you eat those seeds or throw the seeds in your bin – you are preventing a new generation of berry plants from germinating.  And that’s ok if they are a garden plant that you have brought and grown in your garden – but if you go on a wild berry hunt, you should really check on your species before you go stealing it’s fruit!

Case In Point:
Take juniper berries – great for gin making – but locally threatened in certain habitats.

Also, the berries take up to 3 years to fruit on the plant itself and another 2 or more to germinate into a new plant – so it’s berries are at least 5 years in the making.  And of course, not all berries contain fertile seeds in the first place!

Junipers are also very fussy about where they grow and as a result many juniper stands (groups of junipers) are not producing young plants in certain habitats across southern England.

Well, how could they if you are using all their berries each year for your festive fun!  Yes, wild mammals and birds also eat the plants and berries – but you are just adding to their woes!

photo credit: oskarlin

By all means in Scotland, where the plant is very common and widespread, take some berries – but still make sure that you don’t pick all the berries of any one plant or in any one stand otherwise you are just being a bit selfish towards nature’s efforts!

And according to local by-laws; you may not even be allowed to pick plants and berries in certain nature reserves or on protected land – or even beside footpaths or bridleways if it passes through private land.

And there may well be a good reason for it – don’t assume these berries go to waste if you don’t pick them. Nature takes care of these things; with mammals and birds eating the fresh produce and the invertebrates finishing off the waste materials!

Wild Food:
There is a big drive towards ‘wild food’ at the moment with mushrooms, berries, plants and game all making it onto the apparently eco friendly menu – but think about the bigger picture in all cases.

Yes, it’s lovely to kill off some wild deer and feed 30 of your friends at a wedding – but if everyone did this there would soon be a very noticeable shortage of deer!  Same goes for ducks, boar and fish.

And foraging for mushrooms is actually where you pick and eat the fruiting bodies of the underground fungi (just like the berries of the juniper bush) so you could be preventing the next generation of life for them too!

Conclusion:
Just because nature grew something for free and you happen to be near it – don’t assume that you should take it!  Think about the long term.  Think about 10 or 20 years down the line for that plant or animal.

I mean – have you checked which native plants or local habitats near to where you live are threatened?  Would you even look it up before you head out for a walk in the countryside?

We are in a bit of a bind over biodiversity at the moment – so it seems a bit selfish to try to stop people in Borneo from felling rare trees and killing orangutans, if we are basically preventing threatened species from growing and eating our own variety of ‘bush meat’!

Perhaps we should start to be a bit more concerned about these things – otherwise getting yourself and your kids back out into nature could actually be hindering or destroying the very plants and animals that we wanted to get closer to in the first place!

Could taking your kids to Karate lessons really be that green?

Have you ever thought about an alternative way to stop you kids leaving the lights on and playing computer games all night:  Make them do their homework? Give them household chores to complete? Nag them all day?

Or sign them up to a club like Karate, sea cadets, scouts, ballet, piano lessons?

Seriously, what better way to keep your energy levels down at home without getting into a constant battle with your kids!  Give them something to do outside!

Not only will it give you some free time, it will allow them a bit of independence, an excuse to make friends, learn new skills and gain some valuable social skills along the way!

photo credit: woodleywonderworks

Something For The Future:
I wish I had joined more clubs when I was younger!  I would so love to have played an instrument or learned to dance – but it all seems such a chore when you have a house to run – if only you could give your kids those opportunities.

There is so much on offer out there today that it would be a shame not to encourage your kids to get involved – and maybe get involved yourself.

I mean if your kids are busy for 2 hours twice a week – won’t that give you the time to try out something new yourself?

Things like music lessons or language tutoring can be done at a time to suit you (rather than having to attend set classes) so while your kids are playing football you could be learning Spanish; or while your kids are learning a new dance move you could be playing the violin!

You never know what your kids are going to want to do in the future – but at least if they have tried all these things in their youth, they can always go back to it easier when they are adults.

Or maybe impress their work colleagues with as an unexpected skill!

Start Now:
There is no time like the present for anything you want to do.  If you make an excuse to put it off – it could be years before you try it and then find out you didn’t like it anyway and have to find something else to put off for a few more years!

Sometimes the actual thing you do doesn’t lead to where you wanted – so the sooner you get started, the sooner you can see where you will end up!

Kids often don’t know what opportunities are out there in the first place – so it is up to you to introduce them to all the clubs, groups and skills out there.

It could also be a way to introduce your kids to charity work and volunteering – and of course you can tag along if they will let you!  Why not get them out in the countryside working for the National Trust or Wildlife Trusts scrub bashing or footpath building.

Or helping out at organised events for local communities or those who need an extra bit of support; serving food, litter picking, cleaning up or painting the set for the church pantomime!

It’s not behind you!  Look to the future!

Thinking ahead to what you enjoy on holiday can influence your savings!

Did you think that your savings just sat in a drawer at the bank the whole time – earning you interest by just being there?

No, of course not.  Your money is sent all around the world by your bank or financial company and invested into all sorts of ventures from gold to technology, and from energy to vaccinations.

But what if your bank is funding things that you disapprove of?  Have you even asked them who they lend your money to?

Why Should You Care?
Well, firstly – you surely don’t want to be giving your money to any company that isn’t environmentally friendly do you?  Or a company that abuses people or landscapes? 

Would you give your money to a company that clears forests, pollutes waterways or displaces communities? Or one that abuses people, destroys homes and causes illness and disease?

What if you are spending money each month donating to charities which are using your money to fight certain developments – yet your savings are helping to fund the other side.

One set of funds is destroying a habitat – and you other money is trying to clean up the pieces!

What Could You Be Doing?
Well, you could be responsible for destroying the very places that you want to visit in the future. 

Your funds could be clearing landscapes for farming, energy exploration, transport connections, and any number of other technologies without you really knowing that you are doing it.

photo credit: L Gnome

If you were only looking at the financial returns at the end of your term or for when you retire then you are missing the point of the word: investment!

What is the point of investing in purely your own financial future – when the rest of the world is still being changed beyond your control.

So what you should be doing is making sure that the companies you invest in are doing what you want them to be doing.  Check with your bank where they are sending your money before you give it to them.

You try to only travel with ethical companies and you buy products that are fair trade and sustainable – so why not check where all your money is going in the bank!

You could be paying an oil drilling company to cut holes in the Amazon with your pension – and also giving to a charity to try to relocate all the people and animals that used to live where an oil well is now situated.

And if you want to ever see those orangutans in the wild – make sure your savings account isn’t funding oil palm plantations!

You can do a lot of things with your money – so plan to spend it well!

If you want to live in a Mediterranean climate – carry on regardless!

Climate change is real – and is happening every day.  Your choices every hour, even every minute are making it a reality.

You may well now be bored of hearing that you should ‘turn off your lights’, ‘don’t leave the TV on stand-by’ and ‘turn down the thermostat by 1 degree’ – but people still aren’t doing it!

I can visit a friends house and see these very basics being ignored; and taps left dripping, single item washes and radiators heating empty rooms.  People just aren’t taking this whole thing seriously.

And as a result – the world is getting warmer……

Your Green Holidays:
So, you need to make sure that the people you are paying your hard earned money to for holidays, trips and other services are doing their bit.

If you want to stay home and admire the beautiful Lake District, the Fens or some beautiful coastal villages – then you need to make sure that they can survive climate change:

If the temperature of the Earth rises just 2 degrees – you will no longer have those clear lakes.  The warmer weather will encourage flash floods – which will in turn encourage algal growths – as well as reduce the amount of water reaching the ground.  And with less water falling as rain in the first place; humans will need to ‘take’ more of it for survival and industry – so you won’t be finding it laying about in ponds and lakes!

Higher temperatures will also bring rising sea levels – and so the low-lying Fens will soo be underwater.  Just a meter sea level rise could see vast swathes of eastern England permanently underwater.  All that land which was so carefully drained for farming will be lost to ‘poisonous’ salty marshes – useless for human agriculture and living.

Rising sea levels and increased storms will soon put an end to a trip to the seaside!  Many cliffs and low level defences will be overcome by violent storms or just increased erosion.  Many houses are lost each year already due to this effect – but it could be worse if it happens when the country is already stressed.  Funding won’t be available to save a few cottages from destruction when the capital is under threat too!

photo credit: Orange County Archives

Higher temperatures and less rain will also mean that your local species will start to be outcompeted by more drought-resistant plants and animals.  Gone will be the oaks and chestnuts and in will come the corks and palms.  Apples won’t get their frosts so will soon die out and we will have oranges and lemons instead.

As a result, all the insects and fungi that feed on these plants will be gone too – and it feeds up the food chain.  If there are no insects to feed the blue tits and robins – they will be gone too – and the owls and hawks and foxes that feed on them?  If the seeds of these trees are no longer available – then what will the squirrels and deer eat?

Your Impact:
By all means carry on going on your trips – as your money spent on local services is vital for keeping these places alive and cared for – but make some demands of your own before booking.

I know it all sounds a bit petty to ask that your towels aren’t washed every day and food is locally sourced – but unless you do these things you are directly contributing to climate change and the ultimate demise of the English countryside.

You often hear the quotes of ‘if everyone in the world did A, then we could save so much of B’.  But everyone in the UK isn’t even doing A – so how can we make a real difference?

With your money. 

Money really does talk in the service industry – and if someone is running an eco friendly hotel and bed and breakfast; they should be encouraged to keep that up – with your money.

People who don’t make an effort to be green and continue to waste resources, waste water and buy cheap plastic over-packaged products should be left out of your holiday plans – ie: no money – you don’t stay with them at all!

They can either change their ethics to stay in business – or you can make sure they become extinct instead of our native wildlife and plants!

You might be paying to park on gravel or grass – but you are saving the view!

Have you ever stopped and thought about where the money from that Pay & Display machine actually goes? 

Well, have you considered that it is those few coins you push in the meter that are bringing you to that car park in the first place!

Without the ease of that carpark – would you really be visiting that place at all?  If there was no parking in that cute village – would you even go there?  I mean, if parking was banned around Longleat, Stonehenge, The Eden Project, the Lake District, Legoland and Hadrian’s Wall – would you go and visit them?

If your favourite restaurant, gastropub or countryside tavern had no parking – would they be your favourite anymore?

The Penny Drops!
The land that car parks are on always costs somebody money.  Whether it is the cost of maintenance, the cost of renting it off a landlord, or even the cost of not selling it – there is money involved with leaving land ‘spare’ just for cars.

Many businesses and companies think that it is worth the cost in terms of the customers it attracts – and they will usually offer ‘free’ parking to customers.  They will however factor in the cost of that parking into your bill somehow – but you don’t mind paying it in exchange for great food and great service!

photo credit: James Byrum

Others without food or the chance to actually come face to face with their customers sometimes charge for the parking itself.  The great service is however a bit more difficult for some to see.

Countryside Parking:
When you turn up to a car park in the countryside to walk your dogs, spend time outside with your family, visit that castle, earthworks or river, or just admire the view – you are stepping into that service without even noticing.

Someone has had to create that car park – and then maintain it.  Someone else probably makes sure that there is an up-to-date information sign for you to read, a leaflet or 2 about wildlife and landmarks, some seating and possibly some signage to make your stop here more pleasant.

Yet another person might be in charge of installing and maintaining toilets on the site, creating a bus link to the site and even finding/hiring an ice cream van or hot food stall on site in the summer. 

Another team of staff or volunteers may well be engaged in fixing fencing, marking parking bays and bicycle racks, fixing potholes amongst other things.  They may also arrange for bins on site – both rubbish and dog poop – and even for picking up dropped litter in and around the car park and disposing of it elsewhere.

Now can you see the service?
So if you turn up at a place you want to visit and you easily find a well marked parking space which isn’t filled with empty food wrappers and dog poo – the view is just as you expected with information and clean toilets close by – and there isn’t a burnt-out car in sight – why are you complaining about paying £2 to park there?

You wanted to visit this site didn’t you?  And you expect it to be as beautiful as it was last time?  So why are you not happy to pay somebody for keeping it that way?

Sometimes, people assume that all councils just charge for car parks to ‘make more money out of us’ – but if you look closely at parking signs – most of them go directly into funding the site you pay at – like all National Trust car parks (however if you are an NT member your parking is free anyway).

So before you grumble about spending a few coins to be somewhere you want to be (I mean it is just like paying an entrance fee to visit a museum or castle, etc except it is outdoors) – think about these 2 things:

1) The fact that you actually wanted to come here to this exact carpark of your own accord because it offers something special or something different, and;

2) The fact that there are plenty of free carparks and laybys across the country and plenty of other bits of quite similar-looking fields you could go for a walk across instead!

Your choice!

Why take a holiday to see everything possible at your destination – just relax!

Next time you book a vacation – why not book a ‘Me’ vacation instead? Don’t rush off to a sight-seeing spot, or a destination filled with historical sights, casinos, theme parks, safaris, surfing, etc – choose somewhere calming and quiet.

Think about yourself a little more – and make your few days or weeks off really make a difference to you – not to take back great photos of everything to show to your friends afterwards!

Treat it like a ‘Holistic Holiday’ where you get a proper break from all that planning, shopping and cleaning of your everyday life.

We generally only get 4 weeks holiday a year – so don’t waste it rushing around!

Switch Off:
Literally – switch everything off except the ceiling fan!

Don’t worry about emailing anyone, or checking Facebook to see which distant person you used to know at school has something pointless to say about what they nearly did yesterday!

You don’t need to know these things while you are away – and what is the point of taking a vacation if you take your work with you! No texts, calls, tweets or anything; it’s your (very limited) time off.

And, why have you travelled away from home at great cost if you aren’t going to do anything different to normal and still talk to everyone back home? Stay at home and stop wasting resources!

photo credit: h.koppdelaney

Become A Locovore:
Make sure you delight in the things that are available to you where you are. Eat fruit for breakfast straight off the tree in the garden, eat salad for lunch and eat out at a local restaurant for dinner – outside if you can.

Don’t rush to the nearest fast food chain or supermarket to look for home brands – eat what nature has given you (not a freight liner and a few miles of dirty truck driving!).

And a change in diet can make a difference to your body and mind as well. Rather than another sandwich or roast dinner with endless cups of coffee – why not switch to light salads, plenty or fresh fruit juice and local dishes.

The more new things you try – the more you will relax, and the more you relax – the more worth while your journey and time off will become.

Stop Saying Yes:
Try to set aside most of your days there for doing nothing in particular. Don’t plan to catch a bus to that cathedral, a taxi into town or a train to a tourist spot – just say ‘no’.

You aren’t on holiday to do more than you would at home – so you need to tell people that you just want to sit by the lake/on the terrace/in the cafe all day reading your books or chatting to locals.

No need to worry about hiring a car or checking public transport timetables and day passes etc, it shouldn’t matter for these few days.

If everyone else heads of without you – it can only be a bonus for you!

Naps And Daydreams:
Just because back home you get up early and stay up all day – doesn’t mean you can’t take a nap on vacation!

Sometimes a little doze in the late afternoon can really set you up better for the evening ahead. It’s not lazy to stay in your PJ’s on holiday or sit in bed reading with a cup of tea – it’s called ‘on holiday’!

And why do you even have to do anything anyway? What’s wrong with just sitting somewhere comfortable and staring into space? Do a little daydreaming if you want – think about the future, think about the past, think about that little bird sitting on the fencepost.

It all helps you to refresh your mind a body without having to live up to the expectations of others. I mean how many times have you had a lay in until 10 and someone calls you ‘lazy’; or a friend pops around by surprise at midday and you are still in your dressing gown and then gives you grief?

Just because they have to be up and dressed at the crack of dawn – it doesn’t mean you have to; and thats what is great about your holidays – noone else is there.

It’s just you and your dreams!

Could Supporting Local Bee Farmers Help Reduce Demands On The Environment?

We need to think big these days – and certainly look to be sympathetic to the developing world – who are living in conditions similar to those that we were only a few 100 years ago.

They are mainly subsistence farmers or herders who live on what they can grow and the little that they can sell.  They have to rely on resources that are local to them and are as good as free – just as those in the US and Europe did not so long ago.

Now, unfortunately – we are painfully aware that living like this is not going to be possible for the millions of people now currently living in the developing world.

The climate is changing to make herding and farming virtually impossible in some areas; the population has risen to ridiculous and unsustainable numbers making a few trees for the family firewood become a whole woodland for the expanding village; and the demands of the (comparatively) richer individuals are stripping whole countries bare of resources, taking land and water from local people and dumping waste in their backyards.

So – What Can We Do?
Well, as we know what is currently ‘damaging’ to our planet – we can use our buying power to make the right choices.

Just as back home – what you buy determines what manufacturers make – the same applies to internationally traded goods.  Although the honest truth sometimes slips by us:

If you keep buying illegally logged hardwoods (ie. by not opting for FSC approved alternatives) you are actively supporting the destruction of the rainforests and the extermination of orangutans, jaguars, and the endless number of mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and plants that depend on them.

If you keep buying any old fish or seafood that you like the look of (rather than opting for MSC approved sustainable alternatives) you are actively supporting the extinction of many endangered species that are being over-fished.  You are also actively supporting the wasteful and destructive nature of bottom-trawling and long-line fishing that are killing off more than just the fish you get to eat; this includes all sorts of birds, mammals, other fish and sea creatures.

I could go on with this list – but sometimes we don’t think or the end result of our ‘easy’ food choices.

Alternative Living:
So back to the bees: They reproduce extremely fast, do all the hard work themselves and don’t need a huge amount of space to grow. What a great alternative to cattle and dessicated crops! But they need someone to buy the honey.

And so, if a family has chosen to ‘farm’ these insects rather than farm something illegal or damaging to the environment – then shouldn’t we support that?

All across the globe we are trying to help communities to become more self-sufficient and sustainable by introducing bee-keeping, fairtrade specialist products and co-ops so that they don’t have to plunder their local area just to survive. 

We are also helping to make sure that they have access to biomass heating, solar cookers, water purifiers and education and skills so that they don’t have to depend on limited rainwater, local forests, bushmeat and food handouts.

So, make sure that you support these efforts back home with your shopping choices.  If they are making something that you don’t buy – then they won’t be sustainable alternatives, will they?

If they are saving the rainforest and it’s endangered wildlife buy manufacturing fairtrade honey, organic coffee or FSC approved furniture – then you had better make sure that you buy it over the ‘not so eco friendly’ alternatives.

If not – then they will have to go back to living off the land – even if that means killing another tiger, clearing some lush forests or over-grazing their land with cattle.

Your choice!

How Practical Is It For Me To Live Without A Car?

I recently went a month without a car to find out what the real problems were with public transport, whether not having a car is a valid option for people like me, and whether green travel really is a practical option.

My circumstances are the following:
Part time job in the countryside working around 3 days a week.
Volunteering for several local charities and eco organisations.
Member of many national organisations (NT/WWT/EH/CAT/RSPB,etc)

Public Transport:
I love public transport in towns and will always use it when appropriate – but using it to get out of town is a challenge!

There is normally a bus running to every little village in the UK – but sometimes they go about the houses to get there – as I found out!  The bus to my work from close to my house travels around 50 miles to get me from A to B and takes 2 hours!

If I catch the train first (25 minutes), I get a choice of 2 buses: 1 takes me straight there every 35 minutes (after 10.30) but only in the holidays or at weekends, and the other is a 10 minutes walk from the train station, 25 minute drive and then a 30 minute walk from the bus stop and only goes once an hour.

So door to door public transport (if all goes perfectly to time) is: Option A = just over 2 hours; B = just over an hour; and C = 1.5 hours.

A car from home would go at any time and take less than 30 minutes door to door!

My Car:
Ironically, it is the people who go out of town who are the most likely to travel alone in their car as not many other people ‘go their way’ so car sharing isn’t really an option.

Working in (or visiting) out of town places usually involves lots of extra stuff too – like wet-weather gear, equipment, lunch and drinks (as not many shops about) and plenty of other bits too – and we don’t really want to carry them on our backs all the time!

Therefore, people like me tend to drive a lot by ourselves – sometimes for miles and miles as we really don’t have a choice!

Trains are stuck on rails, and country buses don’t really cater for outdoor loving people with their restricted timetables and reliance on ‘office’ hours.

I know there might not be many people travelling on these buses, but if they don’t start until 10am and finish by 4pm – then countryside volunteers and walkers aren’t ever going to be able to use them!

A Practical Option?
In summary – No.  I don’t think that public transport for me this month is really a very ‘alternative’ option.

Not only did it cost me around £150 in 4 weeks to work a total of 60 hours – but it also took me an additional 30 hours in travel time!

And in those 4 weeks – I couldn’t do anything else I really love doing either unless I convinced a friend or family member to come with me! 

Without my own wheels, I had to forfeit visiting any local attractions, I had to walk an extra hour each way to get to the countryside from my home, I needed to walk to the superstore everyday to buy just a small amount of shopping each time and avoid buying anything too big or too heavy as I couldn’t get it all home on my own, and I couldn’t just nip over to a friends house or visit any family – they all had to come to me!

And I had to cancel any volunteering I had planned that I couldn’t get a lift to – and by the end of the month, I was really fed up with scrounging lifts of people to everything.

It’s alright me trying to survive without a car – but it only works if I have to rely on other peoples cars. And then I’m not really avoiding the use of private cars am I – I’m just using other peoples cars to spew out the carbon for me!

Maybe living and working in a town with no outdoor ambitions would suit a car-free life – but not my life!